Nominations for key boards and positions in state government are being stalled in a Senate committee.

Senators said Wednesday that a lack of communication with Gov. Jay Nixon's administration was to blame for the delay. Committee chairman Sen. Tom Dempsey says the nominations of Richard Fordyce as agriculture director, Gregg Smith as highway commissioner, and Joseph Driskill and Victor Lenz as education board members are stalled for at least one week.

McKenna resigned from the Senate in December after Gov. Jay Nixon appointed him as head of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. The Democrat from Jefferson County began the new job last month but needed Senate confirmation to remain in the post.

A top senator says he supports special tax incentives to entice the Boeing Co. to build a new airplane in Missouri.

Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard said Friday that it should be "a no-brainer" for lawmakers to authorize incentives for Boeing. He says it could mean thousands of jobs and a massive boost to the economy.

Gov. Jay Nixon said Thursday that he's working quickly and aggressively to lure Boeing. Missouri is competing with several other states to produce the Boeing 777X. Nixon says a decision could come as soon as January.

A Missouri Senate leader has put forth a new, pared-back proposal dealing with the enforcement of federal gun control laws.

Senate Majority Leader Ron Richard released a draft Thursday of proposed legislation for the 2014 session seeking to nullify federal gun control laws that infringe on Second Amendment rights.

The new proposal comes about six weeks after Richard and Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey voted against an attempted veto override of a bill addressing the same subject because of concerns about its constitutionality.

The top lawmaker in the Missouri Senate says there will be no vote this year on a revision of the state's criminal laws or a $1.2 billion bonding program. Both measures already passed the House. But Senate President Pro Tem Tom Dempsey says they are too complex to bring up with just a few days remaining before Friday's mandatory adjournment for the 2013 session.

Changes in Missouri's tax code will be near the top of the agenda for Republicans in the state Senate during the 2013 session.

Sen. Tom Dempsey, of St. Charles, is expected to be elected as presiding officer when the Senate convenes in January. He says majority party Republicans want to act quickly on legislation to provide "income tax relief." The specifics remain to be finalized but could include income tax cuts for individuals, small businesses or corporations.

Legislation has been filed in both the Missouri House and Senate to address the state’s Second Injury Fund, which provides payments to workers with prior disabilities who are injured on the job. But the fund has been losing money for years.